Electrical connector.



R. H. WELLES.

BLEGTRIGAL CONNECTOR. APPLICATION rum) mm: 12, 1911.

Patented Mar. 4, 1913.

To 11 whom it may concern:

. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE dreams. wastes, osxsnosna, Wisconsin; asslcmon ro was: names mules xuwrac'rcnme comm, or-xsnosna, wrsconsm, a cosronarzon or wr CONSIN.

Specifications! Letters Patent.

imam? 1:, 1911. semi so. seam.

mo'rmc'n. CONNECTOR.

Patented Mar. 4, 1913.

e it known that I, BIcHAao H. WnLLss,

a citizen of the United States, residin 1n the city of Kenosha, in the county of (enosha and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Connectors, of which the follow; ing is a specification. v

This invention relates to improvements in electrical connectors, and in the present instance is shown as applied to an electrically lighted headlight.

Among the salient objects of the invention are to provide improved means for preventing short-circuiting of contact terminals or the ends of electrical conductors, particularly when such terminals must be connected to a relatively smallsocket holder or other fixture; to provide in a construction of the above character a combined terminal socketand insulating bridge piece which receives the contact terminals and at the same time keeps them efiectively insulated from each other; to provide in such a construction a secondary insulating bridge piece which prevents accidental short-circuiting between the terminals when the latter are disconnected from the fixture; to structionof the above c aracter a cap .or fitting which locks the terminals to the connector and also the connector to the lamp soclret or fixture; to provide a construction which is adapted for use with var ous kinds of electric sockets or other electric connections; to provide a device characterized by its simplicity and economy of construction and which can readily connected to or disconnected from the contact terminals; and

. in general to provide an improvedconstrucin fragmentary section of one form of lamp; being shown disfixture, the lamp proper rovide in a con-- articularly pointed connected, Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view showing the connector secured to the lamp fixture, Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view showing the electrical connector and locking cap, and Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the connector proper.

Heretofore difficulty has been experienced in preventing short-circuiting between contact terminals when the latterare connected to small fixtures. For example, in electrical.

automobile lamps the electric light fixtures arerelatively small. while the conductors themselves are relatively large, and consi(l erable diiiiculty has been experienced in properly applying, in the small space allowed, the terminals of the supply conductors for the lamps in such way as to prevent short-circuiting thereof. Connectors have been used comprising usually a rubber plug with contact pins extending therethrough. In soldering the supply wires to such pins the rubber plug is usually injured;

The present invention not only effectively prevents anypossibility of short-circuiting, but also provides means whereby the terminals'may be readily and quickly secured to the connector or plug.

Beferrin to the drawings. 1 designates an electric hea light, at the lower end of which isfixed abushing 2 through which extends the lamp fixture 3 which may be locked in position by a set screw 4. This fixture 3 comprises a cylindrical sleeve or shell 5. centrally within which is fixed a block 6 of insulating material having two vertical bores 7 and 8 through which extend electrical (0unecting members 9 and 10. As shown. each of these members comprises a sleeve 11 and contact pins 12 and 18 which are slidable through the heads of the sleeve and are pressedoutwardly by a compression spring 14. The upper end of the sleeve 5 receives the base 15 of the lamp L, and the lamp is .locked to the sleeve by pins 16 engaging in bayonet slots 17 to thus form a bayonet couplmg. The lower end of the lamp base has contact plates 18 which enga e with the pins 12 which are held. in firm efizctrical contact therewith bythe springs 14.

Describing now the electrical connector which forms the salient feature" of my invention, this connector comprises a cy1in-' drical plug 19 haying longitudinal bores 20 and 21 for receiving the'metal'terminal thus securely clamping the pins within t ioplugs. Inorder to revent the terminal pins from becoming s orbcircuited as they are inserted into 'or withdrawnjrom the plug, and also to prevent the conductors imme iately adjacent the pins from bein squeezed together 'to be thus short-circuite I provide an extension 28-011 the base of the plug which bridges between the terminaltips. and the semi-cylindrical channels 29 receiving the conductors rigidly hold the conductors and thus prevent loosening or disconnection, thereof on the terminal pins. Also, to prevent short-circuiting between the heads of the screws 27 a short projection 30 on the lug bridges between these screws, so that t e screws will not be shortecircuited upon engagement of the plug end with a metallic surface. Member 31 has the sleeve part 82 for receiving the conduc- -tor cable c and the flange part 33 which is internally threaded to have threaded engagement with the lower end of the lug 19. The plug 19 fits the lower end of the fitting sleeve 6 and is locked therein by the engagement of pins 34 with be onet slots 35 in sleeve 5, and when the p u'g is thus locked to the sleeve the screws 27 are held in firm electrical engagement with the contact pins 13 by the force of the springs 14. The flange 33 of the cap frame 31 abuts against tie lower ed e of the sleeve 5 when screwed up on the p ug, and thus the ins 34 are securely locked in the bayonet s ots,"

the horizontal faces 86 of these slots being slightly concave, as best shown in Fig. 2, to receive the ins and to prevr it rotation of the plug a ter the cap has been screwed against the sleeve 5.

I thus provide connector mechanism which can be readil applied and secured to electric fixtures an towhich su ply conductor terminal ins can be readi y ap lied and secured. wit out any danger of s ortcircuiting thereof.

I do not of course desire to be limited to the precise construction and arrangement and adaptation shown, as chan es and modifications are, of course, possib e which would still come within the scope of the ingagingl in said bores within the body an 'a vention, and I therefore claim the followlauns:

1. In an electrical connector, the combination of a cylindric body part of insulating material, a short cylindrical extension from the base'of said body part and of lessdiameter than said body part, a longer 0 lindrical extension from the head of t e body part and of less diameter. than said body part, parallel bores extending entirely through said body art and said cylindric extensions, part o the bore within the ,body part being of less diameterto form outer and inner shoulders, terminal tips enart utting'against the inner shoul crs, screws extending into the other endof said bores and abutting against the outer shoulders and having threaded engagement with said tips, the outer faces of said screws bein substantially flush with the base, of the body part but bridged between by the short cylindric extension, and terminal conductors extending through the bores of said head cylindric extension and said body part and secured in suitable holes in said tips, the ends of said-conductors being bridged between by said head cylindric extension.

2. In an electrical connector, the combination of a cylindric bod art of insulating material, a short cylin rical extension from the base of said body part and of less diameter than the body part, a longer cvlindrical extension from the head of the bo lv part and of less diameter than said bod y part, arallel bores extending entirely throughsaid bod art and said 0 lindric extensions, part 0 t e bore within t e body part being of less diameter to form outer and inner shoulders, terminal tips en 'ng in said bores within the bod part an shuttin againstthe inner sh'ouldersscrews exten ing'into the other end of said bores and a uttin and having t readed engagement .with said ti s, the outer faces of said screws being su stantially flush with the base of the body part but bridged between by the short cyindric extension, terminal conductors exagainst the outer shoulcirs tending through the bores of said head ipee eoe having a bayonet slotend saici 0053" having a pin for engaging in said siot terminal tips within said bedy part for re ceiving conductor terminals, a cap having an opening for receiving said conductors and having internal threads at one end for engagin with threads on the body part, "the end .01 t e bayonet slot being notched for E receiidng the body part pin and said ea g ebuiting against the sleeve end to securely lock the pin in said slot t0 thereby secureiy lock the body part to said sleeve.

RICHARD H. NELEES.

FRAM: L. BELKFAP,

Witnesses l NELLIE B. DEAPJSQBN. 

